The historical development of the consumption of sweeteners - a learning approach

From a theoretical point of view, addressing the adoption of novelty and change in consumption is a topic of major interest since it challenges the axiomatic foundations of modern microeconomics. Starting from the “continuity hypothesis” which considers the evolution of culture to be based on biological evolution, an evolutionary approach is presented which highlights the role of consumer learning. By means of a case study on the complex consumption history of sweeteners, it is shown that this approach complements the Lancasterian characteristics approach to the adoption of novelty in consumption in a fruitful way. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin/Heidelberg 2005